Video game consumers often find themselves switching from one game to another during a gaming session. Unfortunately, gaming consoles support only a single disc or cartridge, which can result in significant down time while switching among a set of favorite games. Typically switching games includes many if not all of the following steps. The consumer first should turn off the power to the gaming system. The consumer removes the game media (e.g., a platter, an optical disc, cartridge, etc.) and places the media in its holder. The consumer then selects a new game and places its media into the game system. Finally, the consumer reboots the game system.
Ideally a game consumer should be able to switch among favorite games without having to search for lost holders, to search for lost games, or to reboot the game console. One approach to reduce the need for switching games in and out of a game console is to provide a disc changer. For example, U.S. patent application publication 2007/0263493 to Rodgers titled “Video Game Disc Changer” (November 2007), describes a changer that can be controlled via a remote. However, it is unlikely that producers of game consoles would modify their current consoles to integrate such a multi-disc tray due to increased costs.
Another approach for a game disc changer taken by others includes offering an external changer that connects to a game console. U.S. patent application publication 2008/00328302 to Hansen titled “Video Game Disc Changer” (February 2008) discloses multi-disc cartridge that can be inserted into a changer. The changer connects to a game console via a USB connection.
Further examples of effort put forth to support multiple game media for a game console include the following:                U.K. patent application publication GB 2 254 469 to Marchini titled “Data Storage” (October 1992) describes a common data store across multiple entertainment devices including game systems where a mechanical disc changer can select one of multiple discs for use by a remote entertainment device.        U.S. patent application publication 2002/0006828 to Gerding titled “Arcade Style Video Game Adapter System” (January 2002) discloses a game adapter system supporting different types of game systems or audio-visual components. Games can be accessed from a disc changer having a USB data port.        U.S. patent application publication 2004/0110566 to Schneider titled “Video Game Jukebox” (June 2004) discusses disk storage device for storing multiple videodisks.        Although very short U.S. patent applicator publication 2006/0239658 to St. Hilaire titled “Multiple Disc Changer Video Game” (October 2006) contemplates a rotatable disc changer.        U.S. patent application publication 2007/0207843 to Hwang titled “Multi-Disc Changer for Computer Gaming Device” (September 2007) describes a disc changer supporting various types of discs including game discs, DVDs, or CDs. The changer reads metadata from a disc and presents the metadata on a screen.        
Although the above references offer potential avenues for reducing down-time of switching games, the references and others in the market have failed to result in products having market traction. One reason for such failures is video game changers lack support for addressing concerns of game console producers with respect to protecting their proprietary intellectual property. Game consoles include proprietary protocols or technology for reading and engaging with game data via a game data reader to ensure only those having a proper license can provide third party products for the game console. Existing or known changers lack support for engaging properly with a game console to ensure the console producers retains control over their technology without exposing their proprietary technology to others.
Some effort has been put forth to protect game intellectual property. For example, U.S. patent application publication 2004/0009815 to Zotto et al. titled “Managing Access to Content” (January 2004) and U.S. patent application 2004/0225894 to Colvin titled “Hardware Based Method for Digital Rights Management Including Self Activating/Self Authenticating Software” (November 2004) both discuss an environment where keys are used to obtain and decrypt content. Such approaches are useful for Digital Right Management (DRM) of a game, but fail to address issues related to using a remote reader according to a console's proprietary protocols.
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The market has yet to appreciate, until now, that a viable video game changer can be responsive to instructions from a game console to ensure the console can properly enforce its protocols while the game changer accesses a game media. In such an approach a game console controls the game changer using the console's proprietary technology without disclosing to a third party how game data should be read. Additionally a video game changer can operate with significantly reduced memory by streaming game data from the game changer to the game console. Utilizing a reduced memory for buffering or caching video game data aids in protecting the digital rights of the game publisher by ensuring that only a minute portion of the video game can be stored outside the game console. At no time does a complete copy of the game exist in a third-party's data store (e.g., hard disc, RAM, flash memory, etc . . . ) where an unauthorized entity could obtain a copy of the game.
Thus, there is still a need for video game changer that respects the intellectual property of others in the gaming industry.